The Best of 2011

Each year, veteran music critic Francis Davis polls dozens of jazz critics for their picks of the best music they heard during the previous 12 months in five categories: overall, reissue, vocal, Latin and debut.

Given the scope of the electorate, this is—hands down—the most extensive survey of recorded jazz (as opposed to, say, the DownBeat Critics Poll, which takes into account both recorded and live music). Formerly published each December in The Village Voice, the poll now is available on Rhapsody.com. Individual ballots are available on Tom Hull's site.

You can find my full ballot here, but here's my top 10:

1. Marcus Strickland, Triumph Of The Heavy, Volumes 1 & 2
2. Carol Morgan, Blue Glass Music
3. Denny Zeitlin, Labyrinth
4. Erik Friedlander, Bonebridge
5. Trio Derome Guilbeault Tanguay, Danse à l'Anvers
6. Joe Lovano Us Five, Bird Songs
7. Enrico Rava, Tribe
8. Nordic Connect, Spirals
9. Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Volume 2
10. Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian, Live At Birdland